The field of the present invention relates to archery bows. In particular, a split-buss-cable single-cam archery bow is described herein including a splitter adjustable in position and width.
Solo or single-cam compound bows are well known in the art. A plurality of these have been previously disclosed, some of which are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,505,185, 5,368,006, 5,975,067, and 6,098,607, each of said patents being incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Dual-cam compound bows are also well known in the art, some of which are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,739,744 and 5,040,520, each of said patents being incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. In these prior patents are described in detail the mechanics of a compound bow including non-circular single or dual cam members which impart dynamic forces on the bow limbs.
Whether single-cam or dual-cam, the purposes and advantages of compound bows are well known to those skilled in the art and need not be repeated herein. Compound bows typically comprise: a handle from which resilient bow limbs extend oppositely; pulley means comprising cams, levers, and/or pulleys and typically being disposed at the tips of the limbs of the bow; and one or more cables coupled to the bow limbs and/or pulley means to give assorted mechanical advantages. One important characteristic of compound bows is the xe2x80x9clet-offxe2x80x9d (i.e., an abrupt decrease) of the draw force at the end of the draw, thereby allowing an archer to more readily maintain the bow in a fully drawn position while accurately aiming the arrow and/or waiting for game to pass within shot.
A prior single-cam archery bow 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Upper and lower bow limbs 11a and 11b are shown extending from central handle portion 10 and terminating at limb tips 12a and 12b. Each limb tip is divided to accommodate a pulley assembly 20/30 and is provided with an axle for rotatably mounting each pulley assembly thereon. In a typical single cam bow, one pulley assembly (pulley assembly 20 in this example) comprises a substantially circular idler wheel substantially concentrically mounted on the corresponding axle. The other pulley assembly (pulley assembly 30 in this example) typically includes multiple cams, pulleys, and/or levers and is eccentrically mounted on the corresponding axle. A draw cable 40 is secured to pulley assembly 30 and passes around pulley assembly 20, continuing as cable 41 (sometimes referred to as a let-out/take-up cable). Cable 41 is secured to pulley assembly 30. A buss cable 45 (also referred to as a power cable) is secured to the axle of pulley assembly 20 and to pulley assembly 30. As the bow is drawn, draw cable 40 is let out by pulley assembly 30, while cable 41 is let out by pulley assembly 30 and passes around pulley assembly 20. Buss cable 45 is taken up by pulley assembly 30. The lengths of the cables and size, shape, and configuration of pulley assembly 30 determines the force vs. draw distance characteristics of the bow.
Bow 1 may typically be provided with a cable guard 50 and cable guard slide 52. Cable 41 and buss cable 45 may pass through cable guard slide 52, which in turn slides along cable guard 50. The cable guard and slide serve to pull cables 41 and 45 laterally out of a draw/flight path of the arrow. An undesirable effect of cable guard 50 and slide 52 is the torque exerted on the pulley assemblies and bow limbs due to the lateral displacement of the cables, and the additional stress and wear on the cables themselves. These may degrade the accuracy and velocity of the bow, and may increase the frequency of string failure and replacement. One solution to this problem for a dual-cam compound bow is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,915 (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cKudlacekxe2x80x9d), said patent being incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The buss cables (two in the case of a dual-cam bow) are split after leaving the pulley assembly and the two split ends are secured to the two ends of the axle of the other pulley assembly (see FIGS. 1 and 2 of Kudlacek). A xe2x80x9csplitterxe2x80x9d holds apart the two split ends of the cable, preferably in a substantially parallel arrangement. The arrow may pass unimpeded between the split portions of the buss cables, and the substantially parallel arrangement and substantially symmetric attachment of the split ends to the axle substantially eliminates torque exerted on the bow by the buss cables as the bow is drawn. The location of the splitter is typically fixed along the length of the buss cables, and the width of the split buss cables often results in interference between the buss cables and the archer""s arm as the bow is drawn and released.
It is desirable to provide a split buss cable and splitter adapted for use with a single-cam compound bow. It is desirable to provide a splitter that may be readily moved along the length of the buss cable and secured at varying locations thereof. It is desirable to provide a splitter having an adjustable width enabling its use with a variety of compound bows and bowstrings. It is desirable to position the splitter along the length of the buss cable so as to reduce interference between the buss cable and an archer""s arm as the bow is drawn and released.
Certain aspects of the present invention may overcome one or more aforementioned drawbacks of the previous art and/or advance the state-of-the-art of compound archery bows, and in addition may meet one or more of the following objects:
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable;
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable for reducing torque on the bow as it is drawn;
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable for improving the accuracy and/or velocity of the bow;
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable for reducing stress and wear on the buss cable;
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable and an adjustable-width splitter;
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable and an adjustable-position splitter;
To provide a single-cam compound archery bow including a split-buss-cable and a splitter positioned so as to reduce interference between the split buss cable and an archer""s arm;
To provide an adjustable-width splitter for a split-buss-cable compound bow;
To provide a splitter than that may be used for a variety of different compound bows;
To provide an adjustable-position splitter for a split-buss-cable compound bow;
To provide a splitter for a split-buss-cable compound bow that may be positioned so as to reduce interference between the split buss cable and an archer""s arm;
To provide a splitter for a split-buss-cable compound bow that does not require any splitter component to be tied directly into the buss cable;
To provide a splitter and a pre-stretched split buss cable for a compound bow, thereby reducing movement and/or misalignment of the splitter as the bow is used; and
To provide a splitter for a split-buss-cable compound bow that is adapted for tethering a fall-away arrow rest thereto.
One or more of the foregoing objects may be achieved in the present invention by a compound archery bow, comprising: a central handle portion; a first flexible bow limb and a second flexible bow limb terminating in first and second bow limb tips, respectively; a substantially circular pulley wheel rotatably mounted at the first bow limb tip; a cam assembly rotatably mounted eccentrically at the second bow limb tip; a draw cable secured to the cam assembly and passing around the pulley wheel; a let-out/take-up cable secured to the cam assembly and passing around the pulley wheel; a split buss cable having a first end secured to the cam assembly and a second end bifurcated into first and second split buss cable ends, each being secured at the first bow limb tip in a substantially bilaterally symmetric configuration; and a buss cable splitter including a substantially rigid member secured to the first and second split buss cable ends so as to hold the first and second split buss cable ends in a spaced-apart configuration separated by a splitter distance, the cam assembly being adapted for letting out the draw cable as the bow is drawn, for letting out the let-out/take-up cable as the bow is drawn, and taking up the first end of the split buss cable as the bow is drawn.
One or more of the foregoing objects may be achieved in the present invention by a buss cable splitter, comprising: a first cable clamp adapted for securing the splitter to a first split cable end of a split buss cable; a second cable clamp adapted for securing the splitter to a second split cable end of the split buss cable; and a substantially rigid central member connected to the first and second cable clamps, the central member being adapted for holding in a spaced-apart configuration the first and second split cable ends of the split buss cable when said first and second split buss cable ends are clamped within the first and second cable clamps, respectively. The clamps may each include a main clamp member secured to the central member and a secondary clamp member urged toward and secured to the main clamp member by a clamp fastener, with the split buss cable ends being clamped between the corresponding main clamp members and secondary clamp members. The length of the splitter, and hence a splitter distance, may be adjustable, preferably by providing the splitter including multiple threadedly engaged members.
The split buss cable reduces torque on the bow and stress and wear on the buss cable, and may increase the accuracy and/or velocity of the compound bow. The clamping arrangement of the splitter enables a variety of placements along the length of the split buss cable ends, and eliminates the need for directly tying the splitter into the buss cable, facilitating later adjustment of the splitter position. The splitter may also be positioned so as to reduce or eliminate interference between a split cable end and an archer""s arm. Adjustable width of the splitter enables adjustment to achieve substantially parallel arrangement of the split buss cable ends, and use of the splitter with any of a variety of different compound bow types.